Author Archive: Jim Pickering

The Collector Car Year in Review With 2012 drawing to a close, it’s time to take a look back at some of the biggest events of the past twelve months. And for those of us who track the collector car market, the biggest news has really been an increase in values of classic cars. We’ve […]

When it comes to hot rods, there is no better icon than the ’32 Ford. Rodders have been chopping, channeling, and overpowering these cars for generations — and thanks to years of use as street terrors, drag machines, salt flat top-speed specials, and show cars, there just aren’t a lot of real-deal cars left. Today, […]

Photo credit: Nikki Boertman / The Commercial Appeal Winter is one of my favorite seasons, but it’s not usually a very good time for using your classic – unless that classic is a vintage 4×4 pickup and you love plowing through snowdrifts. For the majority of us, winter generally means our classic cars sit for […]

Disc brakes may be most common on new cars, but if you drive something built before 2000, chances are you’ve got a set of drum brakes on the rear. They were the industry standard on all four wheels for years, especially in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and the design is both simple and pretty […]

If you’re in the market for a stately, opulent four-door sedan, you could buy a 7-series BMW. And if you wanted a hard-cornering sports car to hammer the canyon twisties on Sunday morning, you could buy a Porsche 911. Or you could just buy one car: a Panamera. To the chagrin of purists who snubbed […]

Engine, transmissions, differentials, and suspension systems are all important parts of your car. But just as vital, and often overlooked, is the steering system. After all, how are you going to get where you want to go without turning your vehicle? The basics are easy to understand. You have a steering wheel, connected to a […]

The sky’s the limit when it comes to upgrading your car for better performance – but like the saying goes, speed costs money. How fast would you like to go? Earlier this week we took a look at upgrades you can make to an otherwise stock run-of-the-mill 2005 Mustang GT — just the sort of […]